DIVERSITY IN VIRULENCE AND DNA POLYMORPHISM OF FUSARIUM PROLIFERATUM ISOLATED FROM ASPARAGUS PLANTS

Fusarium proliferatum was detected frequently as one of the dominant Fusarium species in asparagus rhizomes and spears. Isolates of this species were collected from both symptomatic and asymptomatic plants and fresh spears. Virulence tests were carried out to assess differences between isolates and their origin. The results showed that (1) isolates from symptomatic plants from different fields showed different virulence spectra; (2) isolates from asymptomatic plants from one field reduced neither the root dry weight nor the stem dry weight significantly and (3) isolates from spears without any symptoms from another field reduced the root dry weight significantly. The isolates tested showed significant diversity with a genetic similarity of 63 - 98% based on RAPD patterns. However, there was no correlation between groupings based on RAPD analysis and virulence spectrum, respectively.